ASNA Announces 2018 Scholarship Awardees

Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) is proud to announce Lori Ferreira and Samantha Wade have each been selected to receive the Guy Okakok, Sr. Leadership Award for the upcoming 2018-2019 academic year.

Lori Ferreira is an enrolled tribal member of the Native Village of Point Lay. She is the daughter of Leo III and Lena Ferreira of Point Lay. Lori graduated from Kali School in the spring of 2018. She will attend Iḷisaġvik College this fall to pursue an Associate of Applied Science degree in Allied Health.

Samantha Wade is enrolled as a tribal member with the Wainwright Traditional Council. She is the daughter of William II and Carolyn (Ekak) Wade of Wainwright. Sa-mantha graduated valedictorian in the spring of 2018 from Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Alaska. She will pursue her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks this upcoming school year.

The Guy Okakok, Sr. Leadership Award is named in honor of the late Guy Okakok, Sr., from Utqiaġvik. In addition to the late Charles "Etok" Edwardsen, Jr. and Rev. Samuel Simmonds; Guy Okakok, Sr. served as one of the early founding fathers of ASNA. The ASNA Board of Directors established the scholarship in the fall of 2015, with the intent of providing support for "homegrown health-care providers". The scholarship awardees will receive up to $5,000 per academic year to be applied to tuition, room & board, and other fees.

About Arctic Slope Native Association

Originally formed in 1965, Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) is a nonprofit health and social services organiza-tion owned and managed by the eight tribal governments of the North Slope.